Massive Response To Motor Neurone Fundraiser

22 Nov 2011

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On Friday evening last at a reception in Dundrum House Hotel, the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Fundraising committee from Cashel, handed over a cheque for €78,000 to Ireland’s 2 dedicated Motor Neurone Disease organisations which provide essential services, support and care to MND patients all over Ireland and also carry our intensive research into the disease. Professor Orla Hardiman excepted €40,000 on behave of The Motor Neurone Research Foundation IMNRF (based from Beaumont Hospital & Trinity College) and Marie Reeve excepted €38,000 on behalf of The Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA).

On Friday evening last at a reception in Dundrum House Hotel, the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Fundraising committee from Cashel, handed over a cheque for €78,000 to Ireland’s 2 dedicated Motor Neurone Disease organisations which provide essential services, support and care to MND patients all over Ireland and also carry our intensive research into the disease. Professor Orla Hardiman excepted €40,000 on behave of The Motor Neurone Research Foundation IMNRF (based from Beaumont Hospital & Trinity College) and Marie Reeve excepted €38,000 on behalf of The Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA).

For those of you who may not be familiar with this disease, motor neurone disease is a very rare but incredibly debilitating illness with about 250 people in Ireland suffering from the disease at any one time. This disease which affects speaking, swallowing, walking, breathing and all general movement in the body will eventually lead to patients becoming completely paralysed and requiring 24 hour care.

This massive sum of money was raised through a number of events held over the autumn. The main event held was a golf classic held in Dundrum Hse Hotel in late August. This 6 day golf classic had 220 teams entered and was the single biggest golf classic held in Ireland. The golf classic was also accompanied by a Benefit Dance night attended by 600 people and a traditional night of music for the night of prize giving for the golf. These three events raised E70,000 with the final E8,000 very kindly donated by the Dualla Ploughing Association. The event was the brain child of three local families in Cashel, who found themselves having to come to terms with beloved family members suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. The McCormack, O’Connor, and Reade family’s formed a fundraising committee made up of family and friends whose sole purpose was to raise as much money as possible. The families are hugely appreciative of the support and care provided to them and other sufferers by the IMNDA and IMNRF. In recognition of the care and support the IMNDA provide and the ongoing need of funds for research into this devasting disease, this major fundraising event was organised in Tipperary. Never did they expect to see such overwhelming support and the figure of €78,000 shows just how generous people are even in these challenging times.

At the reception in Dundrum last Friday both Prof Orla Hardiman and Marie Reeve were incredibly appreciative of the funds donated to them. Both Orla and Marie sincerely expressed their gratitude in excepting the cheques and vowed that every cent would be used towards the care, support and research of Motor Neurone disease. Also in attendance was Marian O’Connor, who has been battling bravely with MND for the past 3 years. Despite needing 24 hour breathing ventilation support and despite her only movement possible confined to that of her eyes she made a special big effort to attend the presentation. Being there, on behalf of all MND patient’s, and in particular Karen Reade, was important to Marian as she wanted to express and show her heartfelt gratitude to everyone for all their hard work and to thank those who supported this event and donated to these Charities. Dr. Hardiman couldn’t believe that Marian was able to make it and said she was ‘truly touched and genuinely moved by her trip to Tipp’. Marian also wishes that we remember her loving brother Seamus McCormack who passed on recently from MND. May he rest in peace.

The Reade, O’ Connor & McCormack families would like to thank everyone in Tipperary and nearby counties for their incredible support for this worthy cause and would also like to extend a special thanks to the hard working committee members without whom none of this would be possible. A note of thanks also to Deputy Tom Hayes for his support of this fundraiser and for taking an interest in those with MND.

The committee and above families would also like to express their sincere condolences to the Kinane family on the recent death of their sister Margaret who passed away peacefully from Motor Neurone Disease. The Kinane family on hearing of the fundraising actives based in Cashel last August immediately offered their help and raised significant monies in their home area of Rossmore for this MND fundraiser.

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